Washing and wringing machine



March 6, y1934. T. w. BEHAN WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINE Filed May 6,'1950 2 Smets-sheet 1 Y INVENTOR THOMASW BEHAN TTORNEY March 6, 1934. T. w. BEHAN WASHING AND AWRINCTING MACHINE Filed May 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 THOMAS W BEHAN ATroRNEY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE WASHING AND WRINGING MACHINE Application May (i, 1930, Serial No. 450,104

9 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in clothes Washing and wringing machines, particularly of the power driven type, and more particularly of the agitator type, in which the tub or container for the water and clothes is held stationary and the washing action is provided by means of oscillating agitating members. Some of the'features of the invention, however, are of broader application and may be employed in i conjunction with washing machines of other` not only enhances the appearance of the machine but renders it easy to keep clean by virtue of the fact that no shoulders or corners are provided forv the accumulation of dirt. Furthermore, all of the operating portions of the machine being mounted within the contour of the cylindrical body of the container, there is no danger of any articles of wearing apparel, or the like, worn by the person operating the machine 3 becoming entangled in the moving parts. The construction of the interior of the tub is also such that no corners or Shoulders are provided for the objectionable accumulation of dirt. The bottom of the tub for this purpose is formed in ..5 a sweeping curve of large radius, particularly toward its edges, so as to provide a surface which may be very readily kept clean.

Another importantobject of the invention is to improve the eciency of the machine as a 40 whole and particularly the agitating devices so that they Will perform their function of providing intimate contact between the soapy Water and all portions of the clothes being washed to a degree hitherto not found possible. The devices employed for this purpose comprise a plurality of agitator vanes mounted upon a central shaft or tube and so formed as to produce a peculiarly advantageous circulation of the water. At the same time the form of these vanes and the arrangement of the driving elements are such as to prevent the articles of clothing from becoming attached thereto and thus subjected to undue strain. In the accomplishment of this result it has been found desirable, after considerable experimentation, to employ at least in part vanes or blades which, in relation to each other, are unsymmetrical in form. For example, one vane may have its elective agitating surface at a relatively low elevation within the container and extending to a considerable distance radially from the central operating shaft, While another vane may have its eiective surface at a higher elevation in the tub and extending, for example, to a smaller radial distance from the central operating shaft than the first vane.

A number of novel features have been embodied in the operating mechanism of the machine through which the agitator vanes are given the desired oscillatory movement. One of the features of this phase of the invention is the provision of a casing which is adapted to completely enclose the mechanism which transmits the power from an electric motor to the agitator and thereby retains a lubricating medium which may without change provide all of the necessary lubricaton for this part of the machine over a considerable period of time. Another feature of thel operating mechanism which contributes materially to the ecient operation of the machine as a whole is the method of mounting the agitator 30 blades and operatively connecting them with the main driving mechanism of the machine. This will appear more clearly hereinafter.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the deg5 tailed description which will now be given of one admirable illustrative form of the invention.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is an elevational view, partly in sec- 90 tion, showing the assembled machine.

Figure 2 is a sectional View of a detail taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the driving motor and transmission connections mounted in the 96 gear casing, the top of which has been removed.

Referring now to Figure 1, the machine may be constructed about a basemember 10 which is supported by suitable legs 11 provided preferably With casters 12. The tub or container for 10 the clothes and Water may be enclosed by means of a cylindrical member 13 formed of sheet steel, or the like, and supported at its lower end by means of a shoulder provided on the base mem-v ber. At the upper end of the cylinder there may be provided an annular member or ring 14 having a downwardly extending portion adapted to surround the cylinder and having a substantially horizontal ledge portion adapted to partially enno close the upper end of the container and'to support a lid, not shown.

The entire interior of the container may be lined by any suitable material, such as a compressed copper lining of proper thickness to withstand the wear and strain to which it may b'e subjected. This is preferably so formed as to provide a smooth continuous surface which, along the sides, ts snugly within the cylindrical shell while the bottom is fiat toward the center but is rounded in a sweeping curve forming an arc of relatively large radius where the bottom merges into the side wall of the lining. Except for the slight attening toward the center of the bottom section, the latter assumes substantially a semi-spherical form. In this way a surface is provided which may very readily be cleaned and which does not present any shoulders or corners in which sediment or dirt may accumulate. Furthermore, this construction does away with the necessity of providing a ysump or sediment chamber, such as has commonly been required heretofore.

On the left side of the interior wall of the tub, as viewed in Figure 1, a shield or encasing member 16, preferably also made of copper, is provided to enclose a shaft which, as will be hereinafter explained, is employed to transmit the driving power to the wringer which is attached to the top of the machine. The member 16 is provided with well rounded surfaces so as to avoid any abrupt corners or shoulders at the points of contact with the lining 15, to which it may be welded or otherwise secured. i

On the under side of the base member 10 there is secured a casing or housing preferably formed of a pair of castings 17 and 18 adapted to enclose the transmission mechanism, which will be subsequently described. The upper casting or section of the housing is provided withan upstanding flanged extension 19 of circular cross section which is adapted to receive the lower end of a tubular member 20. This member may be secured to the extension 19 in any suitable way, as by having screw-threaded engagement therewith.` Preferably, the extension and tubular member will be provided with horizontally extending iianges adapted to clamp between them a portion of the base member l0 and the lining 15 surrounding an opening at the center of these elements.

Secured to the upper end of thel tubular member, or formed integrally therewith, is a tubular bular element 21 there may be a substantially?.

cylindrical or tubular agitator supporting element 26 which extends well above the water level in the tub; Any number of agitator vanes may be secured to or formed integral with this member. In practice it has been found desirable to provide two such vanes 27 and 28 to be oscillated through a considerable arc in the lower portion of the container 'and two vanes 29 and 30 to be-oscillated in the upper portion of the container. Preferably,

the vanes 27 and` 28 will be arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the supporting member and4 they will be unsymmetrical in form with respect to each other. The vane 27, as shown, may extend to a relatively great distance radially from the supporting member, as for example more than half the radial distance toward the side of the tub,

and it may have its main active surface at a relatively low elevation within the tub. On the other hand, the vane 28 may extend radially a shorter distance and may have its main effective surface at a somewhat higher elevation within the tub. The upper vanes 29 and 30 will preferably be formed integral with the vanes 27 and 28 'and may constitute extensions thereof, so that in eifect only two complete vanes are employed, although if desired lthese upper vanes may be placed in different planes and thus become distinct from the lower vanes. In any case it will be preferable to have the vanes 29 and 30 of symmetrical formation with relation to each other. It is not essential that either pair of vanes be arranged dia- -angle to each other. While a vertical disposition ofthe vanes is regarded as desirable, this construction may also be varied and one or more of the vanes may be tilted at an angle to the vertical. Theouter edges of the vanes may be provided with a rib or bead, as shown, in order to make them more rigid and to provide a smoother edge which will'have no tendency to tear the clothes being washed.

- At the upper end of the supporting member 26 there is provided a cap 31 having an outer collar surrounding the supporting member and having an inner cylindrical extension 32 projecting into the tubular element 21 but clearing the inner surface 'to thedriving shaft 22 by means of asplined sleeve 33 co-operating with grooves in the upper end of the shaft. Sleeve 33 may be formed integral with the cap or, as shown, may be separate therefrom but secured in any suitable way to the cap. Through this connection the oscillatory movement imparted to the shaft 22, in the way to be subsequently described, will be transmitted to the agitator vanes. Near th'e lower end of the agitator support; it is provided with a bearing surface adapted to co-operate with a member 34 carried by the tubular member 20.

Near the lower end of the central shaft 22 there is secured, as by means of a pin, a clutch member 35 having a projecting rib 36 adapted to fit into agroove 37 of a co-operating clutchelement 38. The latter is preferably formed integral with a gear 39 whichis loosely mounted upon the lower end of the shaft 22. As shown in Figure 1, the central shaft is in an elevated position and the clutch elements are disengaged. It is held in this position by means of a spring detent 40 co-operating with a V-notch formed in the clutch element 35. When it is desired to engage the two elements of the clutch so as to permit the driving of the agitator, the. shaft 22 may be manually lowered by means of a knob 41 at its upper end. The spring 40 at this time cooperates with a beveled portion of the element 35 to assist lin holding the clutch in coupling position. The

clutch elements may bedisengaged at any time desired by merely grasping the knob and lifting the shaft 22, which carries the element 35 with it. In order that the knob may be grasped while the shaft is rotating, it ispreferably formed in two parts so that the upper section 42 may be held against rotation in the hand of the operator while movement together. The cover` for the container may either be provided with a central opening to accommodate the knob or it may be provided with a small recess for this purpose. A pin or screw 43 extending through the gear casing/18 may cooperate with a groove in the clutch element 38 to retain the latter against upward movement with the clutch element-35. If desired, in lieu of the construction just explained, the pin 43 might be mounted on a lever arm operated, either manually or by electro-magnetic means, or the like, for shifting the clutch element 38 to effect disengagement from the element 35.

Means for driving the gear 39 and, through the clutch elements 35 and 38, driving the central shaft 22 will now be described.

All of this driving mechanism, including the motor or other power unit and all of the transmission connections, is mounted on `the base 10 below the tub and all of it is confined within the circumference of the base member. This not only provides a neat appearance and a construction which is readily kept clean, but the absence of any projections beyond the normal circular contour of the container and base obviates any danger of injury to the person or clothing of the operator of the machine.

Referring now particularly to Figure 3, the power unit may advantageously assume the form of an electric motor 45 adapted to provide sufficient power for the operation of the parts under a condition of maximum load. This motor may be suspended in any suitable way from the base member 10. A driving worm 46 suitably journalled in the casing 18 is preferably directly coupled to the shaft of the motor 45.. In order to prevent the seepage of oil or grease from the gear casing through the opening through which the worm passes, a stuffing box 47 is provided and this may be packed in the usual way by packing 48, which is retained in position by means of a spring 49 held in place by aremovablel plate 50. At any time that it should become necessary to have access to the packing, the plate 50 may be removed by merely unscrewing the retaining screws. A

Within the transmission housing there may be mounted on the worm shaft a disc 51 of suitable diameter adapted to revolve within the lubricant contained in the housing and to throw drops of the oil into the working parts of the mechanism which may be above the normal oil level. vA conical shield or guard 52 formed integral With the disc 51, or otherwise appropriately supported, should be provided to prevent, as far as possible, the passage of the oil through the stuing box 47. At the opposite end of the worm shaft there is preferably provided a thrust bearing 53 which may be of ball construction, or any other suitable form, and which is adjustably held in place within the fall of the housing by' means of a screw plug 54. A cap 55 may be provided over the.

-a stud 59. This stud may be of ball construction at its lower end and may be retained within the yoke by a pair of removable bearing blocks which may be adjusted by means of a set-screw 61 to compensate for wear during the operation of-the machine. A lock-nut 62 should be provided to retain the set-screw in any adjusted position.

To the upper end of the stud 59 there is connected one end of a long link or connecting rod 63 which may be held in position against a shoulder on the stud by means of a nut 64. The opposite end of this link may be connected in a similar way to a stud 65 similar to the stud 59 held between two bearing blocks 66, which are adjustable within a yoke or strap 67 integral with or otherwise secured to a gear sector 68. Adjustment o f the bearing blocks 66 may be effected by means of a set-screw 69. The sector 68 is journalled in any suitable way in the transmission housing, as by means of' a stud 70. The teeth of the gear sector 68 are adapted lto mesh with the teeth of the pinion 39 which, as previously explained, is loosely mounted upon the shaft 22 but which may be coupled to this shaft through the clutch elements 35 and 38. It will be understood that the crank formed by the eccentric pin 59 is of a shorter radius with respect to the `shaft 57 than that of the stud 65 with respect to the stud 70. This construction is such, theremesh with an idler gear loosely mounted on a stud carried by the transmission housing and in turn meshing with a gear 73 secured to a long, Vertical shaft 74 near its lower end. The shaft 74 passes between the outer wall of the container and the shield 16, as hereinbefore mentioned. At its upper end the shaft 74 may be connected in any suitable way to any desired form of wringer mechanism 75. The precise nature of this mechanism forms no part of the present invention and for the purpose of the present description it may be assumed to consist merely of any conventional form of wringer. It will be understood, of course, that any form of manual control may be provided for clutching and unclutching the wringer to andfrom the vertical shaft 74.

It will be seen that a very simple and yet effective construction has been provided for driving both the agitating mechanism of the washing machine and the wringing mechanism. All of the operating parts, furthermore, with the exception of the wringer itself, are arranged within the contour of the tube and base portions of the machine and are so situated that no revolving or moving parts are exposed where they may become. entangled with the clothes of 'the person operating the machine.

In the operation of the Washing machine a suitable quantity of mixed clothing and soapy water is introduced into the tub and the knob 42 is depressed to engage the clutch members 35 and 38. The cover of the tub, not shown, is now put in position on the ring 14 and the motor is started up by operation of an electric switch located at any suitable point on the frame of the machine. Now, as the Worm-wheel 56 revolves and through the connecting rod 63 imparts an oscillatory movement to the segment 68 and the shaft 22, the agitator vanes 27, 28, 29

and 30 will be givenl a corresponding oscillatory movement. These agitator blades, due to their peculiar form, will set up a whirling movement and currents within the body of water and clothes in the tub in channels which need not be specifically defined from a hydraulic standpoint. It has been found, however, in the actual operation of the machine that due to the form of the lower agitator vanesl 27 Iand 28, the clothes and Water are forced outwardly at thebottom of the tub and by virtue of the gentle curvature of the latter, are thrown upwardly along the sides of the tub. After4 reaching a point about opposite the upper pair of vanes, the clothes and water have lost their momentum and will fallaway from the sides of the tub and drop toward the bottom. On account of the action of these upper vanes, however, the clothes will not be permitted to reach the center of the tub where they might become entangled about the central shaft. This construction, therefore, overcomes a di'iculty which has been experienced to a considerable extent in the past in the way of unusual strain and wear upon the clothes. There is no dependence in the operation of this machine upon the attachment of the clothes to any portion of the agitator and the rapid movement of the clothes with the agitator through the bady of water. An action of this sort, which is common in previously known machines, gives rise to considerable wearing and tearing force on the clothes. By the present agitator construction this objectionable action is avoided without sacriflcing efliciency ln the performance of the Washing function. The entire mixture of clothing and Water is forced through the channels indicated in such away as to bring about a very intimate contact between all surfaces of the clothes and the water.

In the operation of the machine a small quantity of water may find its way into the passage between the tubular extension 21 and the shaft 22. This water will trickle down the shaft and near the bottom of the latter will be deflected, by means of a conical shield 76 secured to the shaft, into a passage between the elements 20 and 23. A small opening 77 is provided at the bottom of this passage to permit continual drain- -ing of any water that may follow this course.

The deector '76 serves to divert the water away from the bearing near the llower end of shaft 22 and from the packing 24. Its provision, in fact, overcomes in large part, if not altogether, the necessity of employing the packing 24.

The main drain for discharging the water from the tub may be located at any suitable point leading preferably from a point near the center of the bottom of the latter and being provided with a suitable faucet near the .edge of the base.

While one admirable form of the 'invention has been described in detail, it is to be understood that the particular embodiment disclosed is merely for the purposes of illustration and that many mzdications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims which follow:

What I claim is: y

l. In a washing machine a container for clothes and water, a plurality of unsymmetrical agitator vanes arranged in the same plane adapted to be oscillated Within said container, said vanes in relation to each other presenting effective surfaces at different elevations in said container, and at points substantially midway between the center and wall of said container, and

means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said blades.

2. In a washing machine a container for clothes and water, a plurality of unsymmetrical agitator vanes in substantially the' same plane adapted to be oscillated within said container, said vanes in relation to each other presenting effective surfaces at different radial distances :from their center of oscillation and at different elevations in said container, each of said surfaces extending to a point substantially midway between the center and wall of said containers, and means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said blades.

3. In a washing machine a substantially cylindrical container, a shaft extending vertically through the center of said container, a tubular member surrounding said shaft and connected for rotary movement-therewith, a plurality of agitator vanes carried by said member, means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said shaft, a clutch beneath said container controlled by longitudinal movements of said shaft independently of said agitator adapted to couple and uncouple said means and said shaft, Said shaft extending above said member and means at the upper end of said shaft for shifting it longitudinally.

4. In a washing machine a substantially cylindrical container, a shaft extending vertically i through the center of said container, a stationary tubular element surrounding said shaft and having a clearance therefrom, a tubular member surrounding said element, a plurality of agitator vanes carried by said member, means for operatively connecting said member to said shaft, means for imparting an oscillatory movement to `said shaft, a clutch beneath said container adapted to couple and uncouple said last mentioned means and said shaft upon manual longitudinal movements of said shaft said shaft extending through said tubular member and element, and means at the upper end of the shaft for shifting it longitudinally.

5. In a combined washing and wringing machine having a circular base, a substantially cylindrical container for clothes and water mounted on said base and substantially coextensive therewith, an agitator within said container, a

motor, connections therefrom to said agitator -H for imparting an oscillatory movement to the latter, said motor and connections being mounted on said base beneath said container and within the circumference of the latter, and connections from -said motor including a vertically exshoulders, an agitator centrally disposed within said container comprising a plurality of unsymmetrical'vanes in substantially the same plane, one of said vanes having its upper and lower edges at different angles and converging at different eleva-tions from the corresponding edges of another of said vanes, and means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said vanes, thereby l'orcing the clothes and water outwardly along the bottom of the container and partly up the side wall of the latter.

7. An agitator-for a washing machine which comprises a pair of unsymmetrical varies and a. pair of approximately symmetrical vanes in substantially the same plane, the symmetrical vanes being above and'in effect a continuation of the unsymmetrical vanes, and the unsymmetrical vanes having radial projections providing elective surfaces at different elevations relative to each other.

8. In a washing machine a substantially cylindrical container for clothes and water, an agitator vertically disposed within said container, said agitator comprising a central support disposed along the central axis of said container and a plurality of vanes extending therefrom, certain of said vanes being relatively unsymmetrical with lower edges inclined upwardly at different angles and `Lipper edges having portions inclined downwardly away from said support and having effective surfaces of substantially triangular form disposed at different elevations and at different radial distances .from said support, and means for oscillating said agitator.

9. In a washing machine a container for clothes and water having a substantially cylindrical side wall and a substantially semi-spherical bottom free from depressions and sharp shoulders, a central spindle extending through the bottom of said container, an agitator mounted on said spindle within said container comprising a plurality of unsymmetrical vanes having their lower edges and substantial portions of their upper edges angled upwardly respectively away from and toward the axis of the agitator at different angles and converging at different elevations, and a plurality of substantially symmetrical vanes on said agitator above said first mentioned vanes, and means for imparting an oscillatory movement to said vanes, thereby forcing the clothes and water outwardly along the bottom of the container and partly up the side wall of the latter.

THOMAS W. BEHAN. 

